


The Pink Egg with a faint tinge of blue

by PumpkinStew



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Growing Up, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2013-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-16 04:11:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/857623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PumpkinStew/pseuds/PumpkinStew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophie remembers and believes in the Easter Bunny. Bunnymund thinks that she will eventually stop believing, but as she grows older, the two realize that they never did forget one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sophie's POV

Laughter, colorful eggs, Santa Claus, a beautiful fairy, Yetis, Elves.

Oasis.

Bunny.

"I'm gonna miss you too." 

Those were the last words she had heard before she fell asleep, tired from the activities in the morning and the effect from the golden sand which snowed down upon the children.

The moment she had woken up, she refused to believe that all that had been a dream. She continued to remember the joyful bunch she had met. The pretty fairy, the large man who had rosy cheeks and a large red coat, the adorable elf alongside the large, yet gentle Yetis, and most of all, she would never forget the large bunny who had boomerangs on his back and an Australian accent.

She continued to remember and most of all, believe in them. Every night, she would dream of playing with them in a large meadow, making wreaths out of flowers and dancing together.

As Sophie grew older, she continued to remember. She continued to stay up at nights sometimes, waiting for the Tooth Fairy to come collect her teeth. During Christmas, she and her brother would hide behind the stairs, in hopes that Santa would arrive any second.

And most of all, when it was the annual Easter hunt, she wouldn't just look for the eggs, she kept a lookout for that one person; the Easter bunny.

But she never saw them again, which made her a little sad on the inside, but she continued to hope and wait.

When she was ten, Sophie began to notice something. Every year, out of all the colorful spread of eggs she had managed to find, she noticed that there was always one particular egg which made it into her collection. It was colored with a light shade of pink and was decorated with a faint tinge of blue.

This was the egg which she had made, together with him; the Easter Bunny.

** "Isn't that a beauty? Now let's get this fella and his friends into the tunnels." **

When Sophie was eleven, her brother, Jamie was already fifteen years old.

And it was by then, that Jamie had begun to stop believing.

"Hey, Jamie, do you want to wait for the tooth fairy with me?"

"C'mon Soph, I need to go to School tomorrow. Don't be silly."

That had made her very upset, and she went to bed earlier than usual. She never thought that her own brother would stop believing. The enthusiastic boy who loved looking out for the tooth fairy, or told her stories of bigfoot and fairies, was gone.

All that was left of her once enthusiastic brother, was a rebellious teenager who hung out with his friends all the time and was never home by his curfew.

That night, Sophie cried herself to sleep. She didn't want to stop believing in Santa or the tooth fairy and most of all, she didn't want to forget about him; the bunny.

And as she slowly drifted off to sleep, she was comforted by a familiar cold presence. It made her a little chilly, but she was glad for it. It made her feel warm inside, as if she was being comforted by an old friend.

###### 

When Sophie was thirteen, she noticed how everyone around her had changed.

Jamie was a 17 year old student in high school, busily preparing for his final year exams all while trying to impress the ladies. They weren't as close as they used to be when they were younger, and he usually fought with her every time they interacted. Their mom told Sophie not to get too mad with Jamie; she told her that her brother was just going through a "rebellious phase".

Cupcake; or Noreen as she preferred to be called now, was studying to be Vet. She had grown up from a foul-tempered girl to a cheery, athletic tomboy. She came to their house often to do her homework with Jamie. She talked to Sophie often, although she herself had stopped believing in their childhood fantasies. Now, she cared more about boys and it had become more obvious over time, that she had a big crush on Jamie.

All of their other friends had stopped believing as well. The twins were focusing on basketball and schoolwork. The nerdy kid with red glasses and braces whom Sophie once knew had grown up to be one of the top students in their local high school and was probably going to a Valedictorian soon later. The girl with the white beanie who was Jamie's best friend? She had moved away, although she still kept in touch with Jamie through occasional phone calls and postcards.

All of her peers around Sophie were changing too. Suzy, Ilya, Christian… all the people who once shared her love for the magical joy of fairies, elves and Santa Claus; they did not believe anymore. They were starting to become like Jamie; caring only about what they wore or what were the latest trends. What were the latest rumors in school or which guys or girls they found cute?

And by the time the next Easter hunt came, Sophie found herself alone.

The only thing which managed to comfort her as tears welled up in her eyes, was when she found the pink egg with a faint tinge of blue.

###### 

Nineteen year old Sophie was struggling to survive in her new collage. She was studying to be a writer, determined to make children around the globe believe in the childhood fantasies which once bought joy and hope to her brother and herself.

She wasn't sure if she could do it, everyone around her said that her writing was mediocre or 'slightly above average' or 'good, but good enough'.

She tried not to become like what all her other friends had become; drunkards who loved clubbing the entire night or love-struck girls who couldn't spend a second away from their boyfriends. She tried to focus mainly on her studies, pushing herself, sometimes beyond her own limits.

But despite all of the hardships, she continued to believe. Carrying a small speck of hope that she would someday, meet the bunny she remembered in a small, fuzzy dream. Whenever she felt down, remembering the large rabbit made her feel nostalgic and warm inside.

###### 

30 year old Sophie Bennett was at the highest point in her life. Her newest book: "The Guardians of Childhood" had been a hit worldwide. Children around the globe loved it, and she was told that the famous animation company: 'Daydream Works' were considering an animated film adaptation for the book.

She noticed that many children loved her depiction of the Easter Bunny. A large, anthropomorphic rabbit that held boomerangs and had an Australian accent.

"So, what was your inspiration for this particular character?"

A young, bright reporter had asked her once in a public interview. Sophie wasn't sure of what to answer.

"He was inspired by a person whom I will always believe in."

###### 

She got married at 32, to a man whom she met at the printing company which printed her books.

"Do you, Sophie Bennett, take Cody Walson as your husband?"

"I do."

"Then, I hereby pronounce the two of you, husband and wife."

As she walked down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, arm in arm with her new husband, she smiled brightly and tried not to cry the tears of joy which began welling up in her eyes.

But when she turned around to wave to her friends, she saw a large rabbit standing with a boy with white hair, standing further away from the crowd, talking and watching the couple walk off.

That was when their eyes had met, green eyes to green eyes, just staring at one another. The bunny seemed surprised to see her looking at him, yet, at the same time, he also seemed happy and relieved.

"Sophie?"

She broke out of her trance and turned around, to find her husband looking at her with a curious expression. "What were you looking at?"

She turned around again, only to realize that they were gone. Her husband held on her shoulder, telling her that the party was going to begin in a few hours; that they could go home and rest for a while first.

"Sophie? Are you okay?"

She couldn't bring herself to answer that question.

###### 

"Momma! Momma! I wanna go find some eggs!"

"Alright honey, let's go look for some eggs."

She held on to her son's hand and rushed to the park, where all the children in the neighborhood were at. All of the children were looking for eggs

"Momma! Let's get some eggs before they run out!"

"Don't worry, Nelson. I'm pretty sure the Easter Bunny makes plenty of eggs."

The children were placing eggs of various colors into their baskets, laughing and cheering as each child found an egg hidden amongst the bushes or grass.

She sat down on a nearby bench, trying to catch her breath after running so quickly. Watching the children being so happy made her smile in joy as well as nostalgia. Easter was about hopes and new beginnings, and it certainly felt that way now.

She heard a noise in the bush behind her and she quickly turned around, fearing that it might be a wolf or a fox. But she was surprised to find an egg laying close to her instead, had it been there before?

But that's when she noticed, it was a pink egg with a faint tinge of blue.

###### 

"Grandma! Grandma! Tell me the story of when you met the Easter bunny!"

"Knock it off, Emilia. Let grandma rest, she's very tired."

"Don't worry, Nelson. This old lady still has a lot of energy to tell stories!"

"But mom…"

She took her son's hand and smiled. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Why don't you go back to work now?"

"I took the day off…"

"Then you can just sit with your children and listen to this old lady's stories."

"You never change, huh mom?"

And so 65 year old Sophie began telling her children and grandchildren the story of how she met the Easter bunny. She told them all that she could remember, about jumping into a portal which bought her to an Oasis with many tiny eggs running about. About how the tooth fairy and Santa Claus helped the large rabbit make eggs, while the bunny himself carried young Sophie on his back and showed her around the Oasis.

Those stories had been told a thousand times, and her grandchildren couldn't get enough of it. They'd ask her questions about how the Easter bunny painted his eggs and how he looked like.

"Grandma, will you be joining us for the Easter Hunt this year? You always go with us every year."

"Shush, Emilia." Her son said in a soft, sad tone.

"But Daddy, Grandma's always in this place where the doctors are. She's healthy isn't she? She can go home, can't she?"

Sophie wasn't sure of how her son could answer that question. She wondered if her grandchild understood the concept of "Hospitals" or "Death".

###### 

** "She doesn't have much time left. The cancer cells has spread too much." **

****

She overheard her doctor telling this to her son and his wife. She heard quiet sobbing and her son trying to negotiate with the doctor, to tell him that what he said wasn't true.

But Sophie didn't feel sad at all. She had lived a wonderful life, and met so many wonderful people. And most of all, she had met him; the only one she knew as the "Easter Bunny".

The days passed by, Easter came and went, and she grew frailer and weaker.

Her brother and his wife; Noreen, came by to see her. They were sad and cried for Sophie, but she tried to cheer them up. Many old friends came to visit her one last time, before the inevitable happened.

Soon, one night after her son had visited her, she knew that that her time was almost up.

As she closed her eyes, preparing for her final slumber. The door suddenly opened, and she heard strangely familiar voices, including one which had an accent; an Australian accent.

###### 

The next day, when her son came to visit, he found his mother sleeping with a large smile , as if she had a wonderful dream. Later on, the doctors told him that she had taken her last breath in her sleep.

But he couldn't understand why she was clutching on to an egg; a pink egg with a faint tinge of blue.

###### 

The tombstone read: "Sophie Bennett ; Passed away at an age of 65. She will be sorely missed by her loved ones."

"She really will be missed, especially by us, and especially by you, Bunny." North said, his usual joyful voice replaced with one which was solemn and sad.

"She was a lovely woman." Tooth added, clutching on to a golden case which held teeth which once belonged to Sophie.

Bunny said nothing, but stared at the tombstone with a solemn expression. "'C'mon guys, all of us should be used to this by now."

Sandy and Jack held onto his shoulder, he looked at them and tried to smile. "Aw, c'mon. I ain't sad at all, I mean, we have to move on and all."

Sandy shook his head, as if to disagree with what the rabbit had claimed.

"Bunny, it's true that we have to move on." Jack replied. "But, it doesn't mean that we can't mourn for the ones we miss either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**
> 
> Do you remember the nights when you were younger? Staying up late at night to wait for the tooth fairy to come along? 
> 
> Or perhaps the nights when you laid awake in fear that a monster or the boogie man would appear from under your bed? 
> 
> What are your earliest memories? Or what do you remember in your childhood?
> 
> In my opinion, the things we remember the most are the things we experienced in our childhood, especially our earlier ones.
> 
> In this story, Sophie begins as a 6 year old, eventually growing older, yet she continues to believe in the Easter bunny, because she remembers that day when she helped him paint the eggs. And the pink egg with a faint tinge of blue is a constant reminder. Throughout the story, she notices that things around her changes frequently and yet, she continued to believe in the Easter bunny and her childhood fantasies, because some things just can't be simply dismissed as simple childhood dreams.
> 
> Please note that many things were made up in the story, such as Cupcake's actual name and their ages. I assumed that Sophie would be around 6 years old while Jamie and his friends are ten years old. When I had written this story, I did not have much reference to their information as the movie had only been recently released.
> 
> Yes, I made a lot of references to real life stuff such as the original books by William Joyce and "Dreamworks Animation". Did you find it? :')
> 
> This Story was originally posted on Fanfiction.Net last year, I hope you liked it and don't worry. There's still more to come. I'm just having a bit of a problem with the HTML editing... :)


	2. Bunnymund's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bunnymund's Point of view

When he first met the young girl, Bunnymund had no idea what to expect.

A young girl with long blonde hair, which even covered one of her eyes, and a pure aura of innocence around her, Jack said that her name was Sophie and that she was Jamie's younger sister.

He was mad that North had been careless with the snow globe, but Jack showed them the way and Bunnymund remembered the joy of being with children.

He was sad when it was time to part ways, but he was a Guardian and had a job to do. It also wasn't like it would be the last time he ever saw her, he'd continue to watch over her and protect children like her for generations to come.

Watching her play with his eggs for one last time, he crouched down and handed her another egg. She laughed and cried out "Bunny! Bunny!" While patting him on the nose.

He looked into her eyes and noticed that she had green eyes, just like himself. "Would you look at that?" He thought to himself. "We share the same kind of eyes."

"I'm gonna miss you too."  He said to her, before bidding her farewell.

###### 

It made him feel a little bad, but who said that the Easter bunny couldn't have favorites?

Every year, during the annual Easter Hunts, Bunnymund always made sure to visit Sophie. He'd always sneak an egg into her basket whenever she wasn't looking, it was a pink egg with a faint tinge of blue, exactly like the one that they had first made together.

She was growing older and maturing quickly like any other child. Her blonde hair had grown to waist length, and she had grown taller. Instead of covering one side of her face, her fringe had been swept to the side and pinned up neatly. Even though she had changed so much, he noticed that there was one thing that hadn't changed; her green eyes.

###### 

"Jamie… He stopped believing." Jack Frost said when Tooth and Bunnymund had gone to visit him together, obviously in a state of shock of losing his first friend.

"Jack, all of them eventually stop believing. It's how the cycle goes." Tooth explained, shaking her head sadly. "I had human friends like you once, but they too, eventually began to forget."

"It's how the cycle goes, Frostbite. Yer gonna jus' have to accept that."

"B-But all those times, those snow days we had! Those sledding accidents! Those snow ball fights!" Jack yelled out, tears beginning to stream down his pale, snow-like face. "Are you telling me he'll forget everything?"

Tooth shook her head. "He won't forget it, Jack. But he'll just remember it as a dream he once had." She pulled out a small golden case which held the baby teeth for Jamie and sighed. "Human memories are fragile. They can be easily forgotten and left to fade away. That's why I protect them, to make sure that it's never completely forgotten. So that when they need to remember, it'd still be there."

Jack was beginning to break down into tears. And Bunnymund knew that it was best to let him cry.

"Hey Frostbite, it's true that we hafta move on. But it doesn't mean that we can't mourn."

So Bunnymund sat there and lent Jack a shoulder to cry on. The winter spirit was in a bad shape, telling him of all the times he shared with Jamie before he stopped believing.

Deep down inside, he began to think of Sophie.

She was as innocent as she was the last time he saw her. But Bunnymund tried not to get too attached, someday; she would grow up and stop believing in all of them. The memories of the time they had spent together in the Oasis, painting eggs and getting ready for Easter would all eventually fade away, becoming simple childhood dreams, and she'd grow up to start a family.

This was the cycle of how children worked. It wasn't fair, but who said Life had to be fair?

He didn't really want Sophie to forget him, but he tried to make a small difference. Leaving her those eggs made him feel a little better; as if it was a constant reminder to her that he would always watch over her.

But he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. She was already a young teenager, growing up healthily and making new friends frequently.

She was going to become one of them. Caring about boys and makeup or clothes, like any other growing girl.

He didn't really want her to stop believing, but there was nothing he could do about it.

So he'd just keep leaving a familiar pink egg for her, in hopes that one day, she'd notice.

###### 

The day finally came when Sophie stopped coming to the Easter hunts.

He gritted his teeth and held the pink egg close to his chest. Trying not to cry, he stomped on the ground and bounced back into his tunnel. He was the Easter bunny! He should know that he couldn't get too attached to a child.

After all, if you became too attached, it only became more painful when they forget.

###### 

Bunnymund tried not to think too much about Sophie, instead, he focused on his duties as a Guardian. When he wasn't busy preparing for Easter, he would be helping the other guardians like Tooth or North, who would usually be busy all year long.

Sometimes, he'd visit North in his office and help him come up with new ideas for toys and displays. He'd also help him serve the hardworking Yetis hot chocolate when they were all too busy rushing to meet the many deadlines.

Sometimes, he'd join forces with Jack Frost and Sandy to help Tooth collect teeth. They had fun competing with each other to see who could get more teeth. It was fun to race against them, even If it meant getting frozen solid a couple of times. ** (Courtesy of the bloody Frostbite himself.)  **

Once in a while, he'd stay awake and watch Sandy do his amazing job of conjuring up dreams to give to children around the world. It was always a breathtaking moment to watch the golden sand spread out and transform into various shapes or sizes.

And when he got really bored, he'd accept Jack Frost's challenges for a race. They'd race around the world side by side, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, running through large meadows, climbing up steep cliffs and all the way, laughing and having lots of fun.

But one should never challenge a rabbit, most of all a large anthropomorphic rabbit, to a race. Bunnymund always made sure that he won, well most of the time anyway. Jack did win a few times. ** (Through freezing Bunny's feet using his magic, the bloody snow fairy!)  **

And although these activities kept him busy, he couldn't help but think about Sophie sometimes. He did miss her, maybe a little… okay fine, he missed her a lot.

He admitted that he did have a soft spot for the blonde girl with green eyes. But what could this rabbit do? Run up to her and ask her to remember him? When she had already stopped believing?

He really wanted to go visit her, but Jack had told him that she had already moved away to College. It pained him a little to know that he'd never see Sophie again in a long while.

###### 

He didn't think about Sophie in a long time until one faithful day, when the guardians were gathered in North's workshop. They were helping him to sort out his naughty and nice list. ** (Yes, Jack still held the record.)  **

But then, Jack Frost had suddenly burst in, laughing like a maniac and clutching a book to his side. He was obviously happy about something, but the question is, what?

"Hey! Frostbite! If you're not gonna tell us why you're laughing like a madman, I'm gonna throw this boomerang in yer' pretty face." He said sternly, clutching one boomerang in his paws to emphasize his point.

"Awww~ Bunny? You think I'm pretty?"

"That's not the bloody point."

"Jack?" Tooth asked with deep concern. "What's wrong? Did you forget to floss?"

"N-No! Look at this!" Jack tossed a book onto the table and they looked at it. It was a large, white picture book with the words: "Guardians of the Childhood" was written in a large, golden font, decorating the front cover.

"You came in laughing because of book?" North questioned, staring at the winter spirit, as if afraid that he had gone mad.

"I'm surprised the critter even knows how to read." Bunny added sarcastically.

Jack smacked his own face with the palm of his hand and groaned in frustration. "No! Look at who wrote it!"

The guardians took another look and saw the word written at the bottom of the cover.

Bunnymund's ears drooped in shock. "Crikey."

It said:  "Written and illustrated by Sophie Bennetts". 

"The book's about the old legends passed down through generations. Like the tooth fairy! Or Santa! She remembers us! She still remembers us!" Jack yelled out enthusiastically, waving his staff around with much excitement.

"That can't be, frostbite. It's just a simple coincidence. It's like taking an egg, then decorating it. It's same, yet in a sense, different."

"Really, now?" North asked with amusement as he flipped through the pages of the book. "Would you look at that? She wrote that Santa have a Russian accent and carried two swords with him."

Tooth grabbed the book out of North's hands and flipped through the pages quickly. "And the tooth fairy is a large hummingbird-like creature who has tiny fairies as her minions. Eeeee! She still remembers!" She spun around happily, her little fairies rushing to grab the book when she accidentally dropped it.

Sandy took the book and read through it carefully. He smiled and showed them an illustration in the book. The sandman was depicted as a short, friendly man who gave children dreams through golden sand.

"And, most of all." Jack said, taking the book and shoving it into Bunnymund's paws. "The Easter bunny is a large, anthropomorphic rabbit that carries boomerangs with him and has an Australian accent. He also lives in an Oasis-like warren and delivers eggs with little feet through tunnels."

Bunnymund read the book with much disbelief. "That can't be, she should've forgotten all that long ago."

"And those descriptions sound a little too accurate to be deemed a conincidence, old friend. Perhaps little Sophie still believes." North said, smacking the bunny on the back as the pooka continued to read the book with much confusion.

"Aww, Bunny, are you blushing?"

"Get off m' back, bloody Frostbite!"

###### 

Jack let him keep the book, claiming that he might as well give the bunny something to make sure that Bunnymund owed him a favor.

He didn't protest too much about it though, taking the book back to the oasis to read it thoroughly.

Sophie's illustrations and writing was beautiful, and reading the book made the Bunny tear up a little. "Thanks Sophie, y' really know how to make this ol' rabbit happy."

###### 

"Thanks for telling me about this." The pooka told Jack as they both watched Sophie walk down the aisle arm in arm with her new husband.

"No problem, I knew you would've wanted to see her like this."

Bunnymund was grateful to Jack for once, something he'd never expect. But if it hadn't been for him, he wouldn't have been able to see little Sophie, all grown up and becoming a beautiful bride.

She wore a beautiful ballroom gown-like dress which complimented her slim figure and her beautiful blonde hair was put up in a bun. Her fringe was neatly pinned to the side, and a thin veil covered her face, giving her a soft, gentle and petite look.

She looked happy to be with her husband, and she laughed as she tried to shake off the confetti which was being thrown onto her.

Watching her laugh and looking so beautiful, Bunnymund couldn't help but blush a little.

"Hey, Bunny?"

Hm?"

"I think she's looking at us."

He tensed up and stared at the figure. She was indeed, looking in their direction. Her face filled with disbelief and confusion.

"She… She really still believes…"

For once, Bunnymund was happy and relieved. To know that the girl he had a soft spot for, had continued to believe in them; continued to believe in him.

"C'mon Frostbite, let's move."

"Don't you want to say something to her?"

"Haven't cha heard? A wedding is a lady's most important day. It's best we don't ruin it for her."

And with a stomp of his paw, the two disappeared into the tunnels.

###### 

And years later, Bunny wasn't surprised to see that Sophie came to join in the Easter hunts once more.

"Where have ya been in so long? You missed out so much fun." He mumbled to himself, smiling as he watched the now older Sophie walk into the park, this time, alongside a young boy by the name of Nelson. He had Sophie's blonde hair, but didn't share her green eyes.

And once again, when she wasn't looking, he sneaked an egg to her. What could he say? Old habits die hard.

###### 

He wondered if she'd still remember; The Pink egg with a faint tinge of blue.

He didn't hear from Sophie again for a long time after Nelson grew up. He did continue to leave her eggs in hopes that she'd come back, but he never saw her again.

###### 

But then, one day. She did come back. She had aged visibly and looked a whole lot weaker, but beside her was a grown man; a grown up Nelson.

From behind the two of them, came a little girl who resembled a younger Sophie.

"Grandma! Grandma! Can we go find the Easter Bunny?!"

"I'm sure he'd prefer it if you find his eggs first, Emilia." Sophie chuckled and patted the girl on the head. "He spends a lot of work painting them."

"Damn straight. I work hard on these lil' critters." He mumbled. He made sure to leave another egg for Sophie, this time, enough to share with her grand daughter.

###### 

But the year after that Easter hunt, only Nelson came back with the girl resembling Sophie. Bunnymund was a little concerned. "Sophie'll never miss an egg hunt… so why?"

But when Nelson sat alone on a bench, letting the younger girl to go look for eggs, and made a phonecall on his cellphone. It was then Bunnymund understood why she never came.

"Hello? Carla? Is mom okay? Did the Doctor say anything about her cancer?"

###### 

"Bunny! You have to go to Sophie! She needs you!"

Having explained the situation to the Guardians, Bunnymund began to regret his decision to inform the guardians about Sophie.

"No I can't."

"Why not?"

"…I just can't. It's been too long since I've talked to her."

Sandy slapped Bunnymund on the back of his head, pouting angrily. A few signs appeared over his head, and he pointed to the door.

"No, Sandy. C'mon, guys. Give this bunny a break."

"But how do you know that she wouldn't remember you?! What about the books? Or at the wedding?!" Jack countered, visibly angry with the Bunny for being so stubborn.

Bunnymund had no idea what to say. For once, he was at a loss for words.

Tooth held the Easter Rabbit on the shoulder. "Bunny, all of us will go. We'll have to say one last goodbye."

"But-"

"IT'S DECIDED!" North's loud voice boomed through the room. He smacked Bunnymund on the back, with enough force to cause him to fall down. "We shall visit her. Tonight!"

"…This is starting to feel like a very one-sided conversation, mate."

###### 

They snuck in after visiting hours were over, and Sandy made sure all of the patients in the nearby rooms were in a deep slumber so that they wouldn't wake up from the noise.

"Are you ready, Bunny?" Jack asked again, nudging the Pooka on the shoulder with his staff.

"Not exactly, are y' sure we have to-"

" Just get in!" North said, pushing the bunny into the private ward where Sophie was staying at.

The moment bunny managed to regain his footing, he gasped at the sight before him. There, on the bed, laid an elderly Sophie who was in worse shape than he had thought. Her blonde hair had long turned white, and her face was covered in wrinkles. Her skin was also extremely pale, the cancer having taken a large toll on her body.

"Hello there." She called out, staring at him straight into the eye.

"…wait a minute. Y' can see me?" He inquired, waving a hand at her. She replied with a small nod and smile. "I'd never forget you, Mr Rabbit."

"C-Can you see ALL of us?" He pointed to the guardians who were strolling into the room. She smiled once more. "Santa, Tooth Fairy, Sandman… Jack Frost." All of the guardians stared at her with slight disbelief.

"T-That means… ya still believe? After all these years?"

"There's no reason for me to stop believing is there?" She chuckled again, eyes twinkling brightly with delight and amusement.

He stood there on the spot with much disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes as the feelings began to overwhelm him.

Before they could say anything else, Sophie gasped out in pain, obviously still in pain from the disease which was inflicting on her now weak, fragile body.

"Thank you, for coming. Thank you for letting me believe." She managed to say, after recollecting her breath.

"No, Sophie, there's still so much to-"

She shook her head. "No, it's almost time for me to go."

Bunnymund rushed to her side, and with shaking paws, clutched her hands. "I'm sorry; I'm sorry I never said much to you."

Sophie shook her head once again. "But you always watched over me, haven't you? I still remember; the pink egg."

"…Y' still remember."

"It was the first egg I painted together with you; a Pink egg with a faint tinge of blue. I'll always remember those times we had."

She took a deep breath and smiled again. "You gave me hope throughout my life. The memory of painting those eggs with you; I still remember." With shaking hands, she held on to Bunnymund's hands tighter.

"I refused to believe that it was all a dream. And I was right wasn't I? After all, you're here; everyone's here."

"Yer gonna be okay, Sophie. Please, just a little longer."

The rest of the guardians watched the two sadly, unable to find the heart to break the two apart.

"My time's almost up. I can sense it."

"Don't say it like that. Yer gonna be just fine!"

Sophie smiled once more, and bought one of her hands to Bunnymund's furry cheeks. "Please don't cry." She said in a comforting, shaky voice, using one of her fingers to wipe away the tears which were beginning to stream down the Easter Bunny's face.

Bunnymund tried to stop his tears. To make himself seem a little stronger, to make himself look stronger for Sophie. He took out an egg he kept in a small satchet and placed it in her hands.

"I made this for you."

Sophie's eyes brightened at what she saw, and the two said it together in sync. "A pink egg; with a faint tinge of blue."

Holding the egg close to her chest, Sophie felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Mr Rabbit."

"The name's Bunnymund, E. Aster Bunnymund, in case you're curious." He said gently, holding one of her hands in his paws.

"Thank you for bringing me so much hope." Sophie said with a sad smile.

"No." Bunnymund replied, bringing her hand closer to his face, letting her feel the soft fur on his damp cheeks. "Thank you, for believing in me; for believing in all of us."

Taking another deep breath, Sophie smiled. "I'm gonna miss you too."

Those words echoed in his mind. Those words. She remembered what he had told her when they parted ways when she was a child.

Before another word could be said, Sophie closed her eyes. And with that, she was gone.


	3. Don't move on, not yet.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a time to mourn, a time to cry, before it's time to move on.

The tombstone read: ** "Sophie Bennett ; Passed away at an age of 65. She will be sorely missed by her loved ones."  **

"She really will be missed, especially by us, and especially by you, Bunny." North said, his usual joyful voice replaced with one which was solemn and sad.

"She was a lovely woman." Tooth added, clutching on to a golden case which held teeth which once belonged to Sophie.

Bunny said nothing, but stared at the tombstone with a solemn expression. "'C'mon guys, all of us should be used to this by now."

Sandy and Jack held onto his shoulder, he looked at them and tried to smile. "Aw, c'mon. I ain't sad at all, I mean, we have to move on and all."

Sandy shook his head, as if to disagree with what the rabbit had claimed.

"We all know what you're really feeling, Bunny. You never were good at lying, you know?" North commented.

"C'mon! We're Guardians! We have to be strong, we have to accept what happens, no matter what!" Bunnymund snapped back. "We can't just let a little death affect-"

His sentence was cut off when he was suddenly embraced by Tooth.

He could hear the fairy sobbing sadly. "Please, Bunny. It's okay. It's really okay." She was shaking lightly, her fairies quivering sadly around them. He felt sadness sweeping over him, and tears began to well up in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hold it back.

Sandy joined in the embrace, followed by Jack and finally North.

"Bunny, it's true that we have to move on." Jack said. "But, it doesn't mean that we can't mourn for the ones we miss either."

And that was the first time the Guardians ever saw Bunny cry in front of them, his usual strong, sarcastic demeanor being replaced by one which cried with much sorrow and despair.


	4. Epilogue

The Easter Bunny; otherwise called Bunnymund, is a strong entity.

Armed with two deadly, magical boomerangs, egg bombs, strong limbs and an Australian accent, he is not one to be underestimated.

But despite his abilities, you'll find that underneath that, he's got a sarcastic, stubborn, yet responsible and caring personality. He is a guardian after all, and he has an important duty; **To protect the children of the world since they were all that they had, all that they were and all that they will ever be.**

He's busy all year long, busy either preparing small, adorable, walking eggs for their big Easter debut or helping the other guardians with their duties. But some say, that, on nights when he was all alone in his Oasis. He'd look up into the dark, starry sky and remember old times, reminisce on the past.

No one knows what he thinks of, perhaps of his past life as a carefree human, or perhaps of the dreams he'd never be able to accomplish because of his duties as a Guardian. Perhaps he'd think of old friends, friends he had back as a human, or friends he made as a Guardian.

Or perhaps he'd think of the good times he had spent one certain day, playing and painting eggs with a young, blonde girl, who had green eyes just like his.

He carries around a small sachet with him, but the problem is that he lets no one, not even his fellow guardians, knows what its contents are.

But if you look carefully, perhaps you'll find yourself looking at what appears to be an egg;  a pink egg with a faint tinge of blue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of it! 
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed the story as much as I've enjoyed to write it. This story was truly a new experience to write. Furthermore, I had thought that this story would be a bit too cheesy for my taste.
> 
> I was surprised at the reception it got at FF.Net, apparently, many people commented, saying that the story had made them cry or tear up, especially in the 4th chapter.
> 
> I am truly grateful for the reviews it had received on FF.Net. 
> 
> To add on, this story was definitely a brand new experience. I usually write Romance-themed stories, not tragedy or hurt/comfort. I find the genre hard to write for, which is why I was pleasantly surprised at its fairly positive reception. 
> 
> I truly hope that you have enjoyed this story!

**Author's Note:**

> **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**
> 
> **Do you remember the nights when you were younger? Staying up late at night to wait for the tooth fairy to come along?**
> 
>   **Or perhaps the nights when you laid awake in fear that a monster or the boogie man would appear from under your bed?**
> 
>   **What are your earliest memories? Or what do you remember in your childhood?**
> 
>   **In my opinion, the things we remember the most are the things we experienced in our childhood, especially our earlier ones.**
> 
>   **In this story, Sophie begins as a 6 year old, eventually growing older, yet she continues to believe in the Easter bunny, because she remembers that day when she helped him paint the eggs. And the pink egg with a faint tinge of blue is a constant reminder. Throughout the story, she notices that things around her changes frequently and yet, she continued to believe in the Easter bunny and her childhood fantasies, because some things just can't be simply dismissed as simple childhood dreams.**
> 
>   **Please note that many things were made up in the story, such as Cupcake's actual name and their ages. I assumed that Sophie would be around 6 years old while Jamie and his friends are ten years old. When I had written this story, I did not have much reference to their information as the movie had only been recently released.**
> 
>   **Yes, I made a lot of references to real life stuff such as the original books by William Joyce and "Dreamworks Animation". Did you find it? :')**
> 
>    
>  **This Story was originally posted on Fanfiction.Net last year, I hope you liked it and don't worry. There's still more to come. I'm just having a bit of a problem with the HTML editing... :)**


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